Category : Focus

Vape firm claims it will survive UK disposable ban

Elfbar-maker will "pivot" to reusable vapes, says distributor, but critics say it is exploiting a loophole.

Boys on the Verge of Tears review – a whistle-stop tour of bewildered masculinity

Soho theatre, LondonSet entirely within the stained walls of a men’s public toilet, Sam Grabiner’s award-winning play is an ambitious, hallucinatory series of vignettes dramatising the gamut of male neurosesRecent plays set in toilets have dwelt on t...

If Only I Could Hibernate review – a teenager faces tough choices in chilly Mongolia

There’s an earthy authenticity to Zoljargal Purevdash’s story of a gifted student from a poor familyIt’s the kind of story that crops up fairly regularly on the world cinema and film festival circuit: an academically gifted teenager from a desperatel...

Prepayment meter payout numbers unacceptable – minister

Just 1,500 out of 150,000 people have received redress after the force-fitting of prepayment meters.

One Man, Two Guvnors review – this exemplary staging outdoes the original

New Vic, Newcastle-under-LymeA first-rate cast delight in controlled chaos of the highest order in Conrad Nelson’s seamless revival of Richard Bean’s hit playA couple on the stairs behind me, leaving the theatre. He: “And a band! What more could you...

Rebel Moon- Part 2: The Scargiver review – more generic sci-fi from Zack Snyder

Sofia Boutella’s dynamic star turn isn’t enough to redeem Netflix’s brash sci-fi sequelThe concluding chapter of Zack Snyder’s cacophonous sci-fi spectacular offers more of the same overbearing, underwhelming formula. Easily identifiable good guys –...

Jeanne du Barry review – Johnny Depp is a lumpen Louis XV in passionless period drama

Maïwenn directs and stars as an 18th-century French courtesan in this lacklustre tale of scandal and sexual intrigue at VersaillesThe illegitimate daughter of, according to this version of events at least, a cook and a monk, Jeanne (played by Maïwenn...

The week in theatre: London Tide; The Comeuppance; Gunter – review

Lyttelton; Almeida; Royal Court Upstairs, LondonAll of London life doesn’t quite materialise in an epic take on Dickens with music by PJ Harvey; a university reunion digs deep at the Almeida; and a 17th-century witch hunt comes alive in an Edinburgh...

‘I wanted sexual adventures, I didn’t want to fall in love’: Molly Roden Winter on her astonishing memoir of an open marriage

An open marriage, dating sites, sex with strangers – now the writer’s fearsomely frank and funny memoir about the joys of polyamory has become an instant bestsellerMolly Roden Winter wasn’t planning an extramarital affair. Certainly not a string of s...

Hofesh Shechter: From England With Love; International Draft Work – review

Queen Elizabeth Hall; Linbury theatre, Royal Opera House, LondonShechter’s young dancers thrill in his hellish vision of England. Elsewhere, emerging choreographers from Brno to Birmingham showcase short worksUnder a smoky spotlight a group of young...

‘He erased the entire project’ … the book Stanley Kubrick didn’t want anyone to read to be published

Half a century since the perfectionist director vowed to block it, a critique that dared to discuss flaws in his films is to be publishedStanley Kubrick, the relentless perfectionist who directed some of cinema’s greatest classics, was so sensitive t...

Armed guards, reparations and the lives of others: Venice Biennale 2024 – review

There’s less glitz and glamour, more a mood of solemnity and concern at the 60th edition of the Biennale, with revelatory work from Nigeria, Bulgaria and the global south living up to the festival’s provocative subtitle, Foreigners Everywhere…Armed s...

Is Kent ready for the Duchy of Cornwall’s next Poundbury?

Plans for 2,500 new homes outside the historic market town of Faversham have gone down badly with some residents. But the UK needs housing, and this is a promising site…“We’re all proud to have a king,” laments a resident of Faversham in Kent, “but w...

The Game Boy at 35: a portal to other magical worlds

The handheld console introduced millions to the joy of video games, and remains one of the best-selling consoles everOn April 21, 1989, Nintendo released a chunky grey game-playing rectangle to stores in Japan. It’s fair to say that nobody expected m...

Swifties queue up for special letter from singer in boost for UK’s Record Store Day

New album The Tortured Poets Department flies off the shelves as Swift breaks record for most Spotify streams in a single dayTaylor Swift fans joined queues outside vinyl shops yesterday for the annual Record Store Day in the hope of securing a limit...